computer applications in public health

In this assignment, we wish to:

• research and consider alternative problems or innovations in the field of computer applications in public health
• begin to develop an understanding of the "input" to a particular problem and what computer applications might be applicable to addressing that problem
• develop a term project research Website focusing on the issues in the topic selected

There are two products associated with your term project in this course: a written report in the form of Web pages describing your project and an oral presentation, where you present your Website to the class. Your written report (aka project Website) will evolve in essentially three drafts, one for each of the Project Milestone deadlines. To begin the term project, you need to spend a bit of time reading your course online resources and reviewing online journal resources on the Web or through the UWF library. Your goal is to define an interesting problem in the field of computer applications in public health and to design and develop a non-trivial computer applications-based solution, utilizing the skills and tools covered in class. Here are some of the questions you need to be thinking about to reach your first term project milestones:

1. What is a clearly defined description of your problem?
2. What is your motivation for investigating this particular problem?
3. What devices, tools, techniques, etc. are currently state-of-the-art for addressing this problem?
4. What specific "information" is processed when tackling this problem with current devices, tools, or techniques?
5. What does "data" in this problem "look like"? How would this data be represented in files that a computer application/tool might read and process?
6. Given the computer applications discussed in your labs and in class, which might be applicable to your problem, and why?
7. Which of the computer applications discussed so far are definitely not suitable for your problem, and why?
8. For any computer applications that seem relevant, what are the formats of the "data" that can processed by these tools?

If this sounds intimidating to you, don't panic! Prior to beginning your term project, you will complete several labs in class where you address these very same questions within various case studies. Within those labs, you will also use various computer applications, and you will post your conclusions on your own course Website. Additional tutoring sessions will be scheduled as needed for any students requiring extra help with any of the laboratory assignments. Your goal for your term project is to take the skills you learn in the labs and apply them to a problem/case study that you define.

You are free to choose any topic for your research project. The most important factor in choosing a topic is that it be an area of public health that really interests you. Good luck!

• As a guideline, keep track of any references and images for your project and make copies of anything that seems particularly useful to you. The WWW is a great place for information, and I encourage you to show links to useful WWW sites within your project Website. However, within the text of your term project report, you must also cite official, published articles. In addition, all images used should have captions and citations giving credit to their source.
• When citing any references for your term project, follow a professional standard, such as the published APA style. Examples of this format include:
  • examples of APA style electronic references
  • examples of APA style hardcopy references
  Graduate students should note that use of such a professional standard is required in thesis writing.
• You should start thinking about data format issues early. As part of your first progress report, you will need to post a draft of a sample input file on your project Website.
• Think ahead. Your final project will be graded according to the stated criteria in the Part III Milestones. Review those criteria periodically as you work on your project.

For the first draft of your term project report, please complete the following steps:

1. Create a WWW page which includes text, a link to at least one sample data file, a description of expected "output", and includes at least one relevant image (with a caption and citation).
2. Create the page as a link on your course Webpage, under the heading "Term Project."
3. On your new term project page, make sure you have text that answers the questions listed above. Separate "chunks" of your problem discussion with professional section headings, such as:
   • Title
     Pick a title for your project that suggests the scope of the work to be undertaken.
   • Abstract
     This paragraph should provide a brief introduction to the overall topic of your research project and conclude with specific statements regarding the input data you propose to study and the specific analysis you propose to undertake. There are no citations within abstracts.
   • Introduction
     This section includes the bulk of your citations and meaningful images that help the reader to understand the "big picture" of your research project. It explains the devices, tools, and techniques that are currently state-of-the-art for addressing the research area. It summarizes the types of "data" researchers collect, and the analyses they perform on this "data" to obtain meaningful results.
   • Motivation/Rationale and Objectives
     This section explains both the larger motivations for doing research in the area, and any specific motivations you may have. You should use 3rd person when referring to your own motivations. You should then state specific objectives for your research. This forms the rationale for undertaking the research.
   • Materials and Methods
     This section provides details of the exact data to be collected (or simulated), and the exact methods used to collect (or create) the data. It includes a link to at least one sample text file called data.txt (or some other name) that provides clear examples of the data, in easy-to-read rows and columns. After the link, your Webpage should include a brief description of exactly what the rows and columns in the data file mean. You can create the data file in Notepad, or save out as a text file from Word. Either way, this text file will become the input data file to the computer application or tool you select to use for analysis of the data.
   • Results/Discussion
     You won't have any computed results to discuss for this portion of the assignment. However, you should have an idea of what questions you want to ask of the data and how you want to present the answer. Consequently, for the results section you should include a link to a file called results.txt that shows the type of output you expect use of a computer application to produce. Prior to the link for this file, you should explain to the reader what question you asked of the data to produce the suggested output. You should also note the names of the computer applications or tools that you believe may be useful for producing the desired output.
   • Summary and Future Directions
     This section can probably be left blank for now, unless you already have ideas.
   • References
     This section must NOT be blank. You must fill in this section with APA-style references indicating the reading you have done to settle on your term project idea. You should have a minimum of 3-5 references at this point. Each reference should be cited somewhere in the sections above. In addition, all figures derived from other sources should include citations giving credit to the source.
   All of these sections may not be relevant now, but keep them in mind for your final product. You may also use your own set of professional section headings, using headings from published journal articles as a guide, for example. Where appropriate in any of these sections (with the exception of Abstract and References), include any images you find (or create) that help the reader to understand the problem, input data, expected results, etc.

The best research project Websites are well-organized, easily read, contain correct spelling and proper grammar, and use at least 8-12 reference sources (e.g. Website resources, journal articles, and books). The project will be evaluated on four equally weighted  (25% each) criteria:

• Content - How thorough is the project relative to Website content? Does substance of the project follow from title and main objectives of the project? Will the findings be technically useful to you and others? What is the overall quality of references used?
• Organization - How well is the project integrated? Does it flow well?
• Writing Style - What is the clarity of writing, spelling, grammar, etc.?
• APA Format - Does the Website contain an abstract and reference page? Are references cited appropriately within text and in image captions?